Microsoft’s Turn 10 Studios released new enforcement guidelines for the Forza Motorsport and Forza Horizon games, which include a ban on the Confederate flag and other so-called “notorious iconography.”
Some Forza players customize their vehicles with a decal of the Confederate flag to recreate the General Lee, the 1969 Dodge Charger from the TV series The Dukes of Hazzard. However, with the new guidelines, it looks like the days of the car in Forza games are over.
https://t.co/ISmRTzdihe pic.twitter.com/ueljc3F3xT
— Forza Support (@forza_support) June 26, 2020
The Black Lives Matter movement, which escalated after the murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, has also raised awareness against racist iconography. In the video game industry, many developers and publishers have shown support for the movement and have taken a stand against racism in their own ways.
In Turn 10 Studios’ new Forza enforcement guidelines, other symbols categorized as notorious iconography include swastikas, SS-runes, the Wolfsangel, the Black Sun, the Arrow Cross, the Iron Cross (with contextual clues), and the Rising Sun.
Players who use these symbols will be banned from the game, though it is unclear if it will be a temporary suspension or a permanent ban right away. Digital Trends has reached out to Microsoft to clarify the severity of the punishment for players who still try to customize their Forza vehicle with a Confederate flag.
The latest entry in the series is Forza Horizon 4, released in 2018 for the Xbox One and PC. It is widely expected that Forza Motorsport 8 will be the next game in the franchise, to launch on the upcoming Xbox Series X.
Electronic Arts’ EA Sports recently launched similar measures against racism, particularly in its NHL titles, where racism has been rampant on the customizable team names and player names. EA Sports’ NHL team will deliver harsher penalties and strengthen its profanity filters, among a few other measures.
